Replacement Note 7 Catches Fire On Airplane

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: Tomás Del Coro

Replacement Galaxy Note 7 Catches Fire On Airplane

A Southwest Airlines flight from Louisville, KY, was evacuated after an unidentified Samsung Galaxy Note 7 caught fire, burning a hole in the carpet and filling the cabin with smoke. No one was injured, airport authorities said.

The phone's owner, Brian Green, told that the device was a replacement Note7, which is supposed to be free of a battery defect that has sparked fires and prompted a massive recall. He said Samsung had shipped it to him only two weeks prior.

Southwest Airlines Flight 994, scheduled to fly to Baltimore with 81 passengers on board, was preparing to push back from the gate at the Louisville International Airport in Kentucky when the incident unfolded.

The phone began smoking after Green turned it off and placed it in his pocket at the request of the flight crew. He took it out of his pocket and threw it on the ground.

While the plane was still at the gate and could safely be evacuated, reports suggest that the phone (which was left on the plane for obvious reasons) burned through the carpet and into the subfloor of the aircraft. All passengers and crew members were able to exit the plane through the main cabin door, Southwest Airlines said in a statement.

It’s the latest in a disastrous period for Samsung, which stopped selling the Galaxy Note 7 worldwide on Sept. 2 following reports of fires caused by overheated batteries in the device. The company eventually formally recalled the million or so devices it had sold in the U.S.

If this is a one-off for the replacement devices, Samsung shouldn’t have too much of a problem moving forward — but if more Note 7’s keep catching fire, the company’s entire Note product could be tarnished for good.